NAN Acknowledges OPP Report

Press Release

THUNDER BAY, ON: Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) Deputy Grand Chief Anna Betty Achneepineskum acknowledged the report released today by the Ontario Provincial Police on missing and unsolved murdered Indigenous people in OPP jurisdiction from 1956 to 2014:

“We acknowledge the work of the Ontario Provincial Police and their expressed commitment to resolving outstanding cases and bringing closure to the families who’s loved ones remain missing and unaccounted for. This report builds on the 2014 overview by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and reconfirms the alarming rates of violence that Indigenous people continue to experience. Like the RCMP report, these statistics raise questions about police classification of solve rates and the relationship between the victims and their assailants, which need to be addressed under a broader scope. It is our expectation that the OPP, RCMP and police services across the country will work collaboratively with each other and the families as a framework for a national inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls is developed. We must uncover the truth behind these murders and disappearances so we can move forward together on a path to justice and reconciliation.”

For more information please contact: Michael Heintzman, Director of Communications – Nishnawbe Aski Nation (807) 625-4965 or (807) 621-2790 mobile or by email mheintzman@nan.on.ca

NT5